[Slow string instruments play and fade to be heard under The Narrator]
Narrator: Hello! Welcome to Mythical, the podcast that wanders the dark and fantastical pages of fairy tales and myths. I’m The Narrator. This season I’m reading the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Happy Halloween, listeners! Today’s story is a disturbing one, and in vein with our Halloween tales. It is “The Robber Bridegroom.” Let’s begin this tale as all good stories should with once upon a time. [Chimes to indicate the start of the story] Narrator: A princess was pledged to marry a prince, and he asked her many times to come once and visit him in his castle. But since the way to the castle led through a large forest, she continually refused because she feared she might lose her way. If that was her concern, the prince told her, he would readily help her by tying a ribbon on each tree so that she could easily find her way. Nevertheless, she tried to postpone the trip for some time since she inwardly dreaded it. Finally, she couldn’t make any more excuses and had to set out one day on the journey. It took her the entire day to talk through a long, long forest. [Footsteps through the forest] When she finally arrived at a large house, everything was quiet inside, and only an old woman sat in front of the door. Narrator’s Comments: Why would the princess go alone? She’s a princess. She has people to protect her. And it’d be unlikely a prince and a princess hadn’t visited each other’s kingdoms at this time. Why does he only live in a large house? Narrator as Princess: Can you tell me whether the prince, my bridegroom, lives here? Narrator as Old Woman: It’s good, my child, that you have come now. Narrator: Responded the woman. Old Woman: Because the prince is not at home. Before your arrival I had to fetch water and pour it into a large kettle. They want to kill you, and afterward they’ll cook and eat you. Narrator: Just as she was saying this, the prince could be seen returning from a robbery with his villainous band of robbers. Narrator’s Comments: How did no one in her castle know this prince was a robber and lived in a house in a forest without a kingdom? Is he only pretending to be a prince and when he gets betrothed he lures his bride-to-be to his house and kills them so the story never gets out? Narrator: Fortunately, the old woman took pity on the princess because of her youth and beauty, and before anyone had noticed her, she said Old Woman: Quick, go down into the cellar and hide yourself behind the large barrel! Narrator: No sooner did the princess dash down into the cellar than the robbers also went down there, dragging an old woman whom they had captured. The princess saw clearly that it was her grandmother, for she could see everything that happened from her corner without being noticed. Narrator’s Comments: How did they capture her grandmother without being noticed? Narrator: The robbers grabbed hold of the old grandmother, killed her, and pulled off all the rings from her fingers, one after the other. However, the gold ring on one of her fingers wouldn’t come off. So one of the robbers took a hatchet and chopped off the finger, but the finger sprang behind the barrel and fell right into the princess’s lap. After the robbers had searched in vain for the finger a long time, one of them spoke, Narrator as Robber 1: Has anyone looked behind the large barrel? Narrator as Robber 2: It’s better if we continue searching when there’s more light. Narrator: Another said. Robber 2: Early tomorrow morning we’ll continue looking. Then we’ll soon find the ring. Narrator: Soon thereafter the robbers lay down to sleep in the cellar, and as they were sleeping and snoring, the bride came out from behind the barrel. Narrator’s Comments: Why are they sleeping in the cellar? That’s just a bad, uncomfortable idea. [Snoring] Narrator: The robbers were lying there all in a row, and she had to step over the sleeping men until she came to the door. She cautiously entered the rooms in between, and she was constantly afraid that she might wake someone, but fortunately nothing happened, and once she reached the outside door and was in the forest again, she followed the ribbons, for the moon shone brightly up to the time that she managed to reach her home. She told her father everything that had happened to her, and he immediately gave orders for an entire regiment to surround the castle as soon as the bridegroom was to arrive. The soldiers did as he ordered. Then the bridegroom came the same day and asked right away why the princess had not come to him as she had promised to do. Then she said: Princess: I had such a dreadful dream. I dreamt I came to a house where an old woman was sitting in front of the door, and she said to me: What a good thing it is, my child, that you have come now because nobody is home, and I must tell you, I had to carry water to a large kettle. They want to kill you and then boil and eat you. And as she was speaking the robbers came home. Then before anyone could notice, the old woman said: quick, go down into the cellar and hide behind the large barrel. No sooner did I hide behind the barrel than the robbers came down the cellar stairs and dragged an old woman with them. Then they grabbed hold of her and murdered her. After they had murdered the old woman, they pulled off all the rings from her fingers, one after another. But they couldn’t pull off the gold ring from one of the fingers. So one of the robbers grabbed a hatchet and chopped off the finger, which flew into the air and fell behind the barrel right into my lap. And here is the finger! Narrator: Upon saying this, the princess suddenly drew the finger from her pocket. When the bridegroom head and saw all of this, he became chalk white from fright. He immediately thought of fleeing and jumped through the window. However, there were guards standing beneath the window. They caught the bridegroom and his entire band of robbers. All of them were executed as payment for their villainy. The end. [Chimes to signal the end of the story] [Strings play softly under The Narrator] Narrator: The moral of today’s story is: trust your instincts. This story makes me think that the original tellers of the tale couldn’t find a satisfying way to end it. They weren’t sure how to catch the prince, so they had the princess repeat her journey practically verbatim to lengthen the story. It feels as though you’re reading it again after loosing focus and rereading the same lines over and over. The final version the Brothers Grimm published changes and adds several things from the original: from the trail the maiden follows to the titles of the maiden and her bridegroom. The final version fleshes out the story a bit more, so it’s a little more believable that the bride doesn’t visit the bridegroom. And we’re given more of a reason for the bride and father to not realize who the groom is. As this is the final story in our Halloween series, I’m going to leave you with the treat of reading the 1856 version. Even if that treat is a more gruesome one. Once upon a time. [Chimes to indicate the start of the story] Narrator: Once upon a time there was a miller who had a beautiful daughter, and when she was grown-up, he wanted to see her well provided for and well married. Narrator as Miller: If the right suitor comes along and asks to marry her. Narrator: He thought. Miller: I shall give her to him. Narrator: It was not long before a suitor appeared who seemed to be very rich, and since the miller found nothing wrong with him, he promised him his daughter. The maiden, however, did not love him the way a bride-to-be should love her bridegroom, nor did she trust him. Whenever she looked at him or thought about him, her heart shuddered with dread. One day he said to her, Suitor: You’re my bride-to-be, and yet you’ve never visited me. Maiden: I don’t know where your house is. Narrator: The maiden replied. Suitor: My house is out in the dark forest. Narrator: Said the bridegroom. She tired to make excuses and told him she would not be able to find the way. But the bridegroom said, Suitor: Next Sunday I want you to come out and visit me. I’ve already invited the guests and I shall spread ashes on the ground so you can find the way. Narrator: When Sunday arrived and the maiden was supposed to set out on her way, she became very anxious but could not explain to herself why she felt so. She filled both her pockets with peas and lentils to mark the path. At the entrance to the forest, she found that ashes had been spread and she followed them while throwing peas right and left on the ground with each step she took. Narrator’s Comments: Good girl. Trusting you instincts…a little…and making sure she had her own path home. Narrator: She walked nearly the whole day until she came to the middle of the forest. There she saw a solitary house, but she did not like the look of it because it was so dark and dreary. She went inside and found nobody at home. The place was deadly silent. Then suddenly a voice cried out. Narrator as Bird: Turn back, turn back, young bride. The den belongs to murderers, who’ll soon be at your side. Narrator: The maiden looked up and saw that the voice came from a bird in a cage hanging on the wall. Once again it cried out: Bird: Turn back, turn back, young bride. The den belongs to murderers, who’ll soon be at your side. Narrator: The beautiful bride moved from one room to the next and explored the entire house, but it was completely empty. Narrator’s Comments: Why would you wander a creepy, empty house by yourself? I’d see a run down home like that and book it the way I came! Narrator: Not a soul could be found. Finally, she went down into the cellar-- Narrator’s Comments: Why…why would you go into the cellar? That is where all the bad things happen. That’s where all of the people are always chained up. That’s the dark creepy places that the villain hides out. You just don’t go into a dark cellar in a creepy house. This…this girl needs to watch more movies. Narrator: where she encountered a very, very old woman, whose head was constantly bobbing. Maiden: Could you tell me whether my bridegroom lives here? Narrator: Asked the bride. Narrator as Old Woman: Oh, you poor child. Narrator: The old woman answered. Old Woman: Do you realize where you are? You are in a murderer's den. You think you are a bride soon to be celebrating your wedding, but the only marriage you’ll celebrate will be with death. Just look! They ordered me to put this big kettle of water on the fire to boil. When they have you in their power, they’ll chop you to pieces without mercy. Then they’ll cook you, and eat you, because they’re cannibals. If I don’t take pity on you and save you, you’ll be lost forever. Narrator: The old woman then led her behind a large barrel where nobody could see her. Old Woman: Be still as a mouse. Narrator: She said. Old Woman: Don’t budge or move! Otherwise, or it will all be over for you. Tonight when the robbers are asleep we will escape. I’ve been waiting a long time for this chance. Narrator: No sooner was the maiden hidden than the godless crew came home, dragging another maiden with them. They were drunk and paid no attention to her screams and pleas. They gave her wine to drink, three glasses full, one white, one red, and one yellow, and soon her heart burst in two. Then they tore off her fine clothes, put her on a table, chopped her beautiful body to pieces and sprinkled the pieces with salt. Behind the barrel, the poor bride shook and trembled, for she now realized what kind of fate the robbers had been planning for her. One of them noticed a ring on the murdered maiden's little finger, and since he could not slip it off easily, he took a hatchet and chopped the finger off. But the finger sprang into the air and over the barrel and fell right into the bride's lap. The robber took a candle and went looking for it, but he could not find it. Then another robber said: Robber: Have you already looked behind the barrel? Narrator: But the old woman cried out: Old Woman: Come and eat! You can look for it tomorrow. The finger’s not going to run away from you. Robbers: The old woman’s right. Narrator: The robbers said, and they stopped looking and sat down to eat. The old woman put a sleeping potion into their wine, and soon they lay down in the cellar, fell asleep, and began snoring. When the bride heard that, she came out from behind the barrel, and had to step over the sleeping bodies lying in rows on the ground. She feared she might wake them up, but she got safely through with the help of God. The old woman went upstairs with her and opened the door, and the two of them scampered out of the murderer's den as fast as they could. Narrator’s Comments: I always think the old woman has an ulterior motive. Plot twist! She’s really working with the robbers! Narrator: The wind had blown away the ashes, but the peas and lentils had sprouted and unfurled, pointing the way in the moonlight. They walked the whole night, and by morning they had reached the mill. Then the maiden told her father everything that had happened. When the day of the wedding came, the bridegroom appeared, as did all the relatives and friends that the miller had invited. As they were all sitting at the table, each person was asked to tell a story. The bride, though, remained still and did not utter a word. Finally the bridegroom said: Suitor: Well, my dear, can’t you think of anything? Tell us a good story. Maiden: All right. Narrator: She said. Maiden: I’ll tell you a dream: I was walking alone through the forest, and finally came to a house. There wasn’t a soul to be found in the place except for a bird in a cage on the wall that cried out: Turn back, turn back, young bride. The den belongs to murderers, who’ll soon be at your side! Then the bird repeated the warning. Suitor: My dear, it was only a dream. Maiden: After that I went through all the rooms and they were empty, but there was something about them that gave me an eerie feeling. Finally I went downstairs into the cellar, where I found a very, very old woman who was bobbing her head. I asked her, "Does my bridegroom live in this house?" ‘Oh, you poor child,’ she responded, ‘you’ve stumbled on a murderer's den. Your bridegroom lives here, but he wants to chop you up and kill you, and then he wants to cook you and eat you." Suitor: My dear, it was only a dream. Maiden: The old woman hid me behind a large barrel, and no sooner was I hidden than the robbers came home, dragging a maiden with them. They gave her all sorts of wine to drink: white, red, and yellow, and her heart burst in two. Suitor: My dear, it was only a dream. Maiden: One of the robbers saw that a gold ring was still on her finger, and since he had trouble getting it off, he took a hatchet and chopped it off. The finger sprang into the air, over the barrel, and right into my lap. And here’s the finger with the ring! Narrator: With these words she produced the finger and showed it to all those present. The robber, who had turned white as a ghost while hearing her story, jumped up and attempted to flee. However, the guests seized him and turned him over to the magistrate. Then he and his whole band were executed for their shameful crimes. The end. [Chimes to signal the end of the story] [Strings play softly under The Narrator] Narrator: The moral of this story is: don’t go into creepy, empty houses…that’s how horror movies start. Today’s first story was read from The Complete First Edition, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm. Translated and Edited by Jack Zipes. Our second story was read from All-New Third Edition. The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Translation and introduction by Jack Zipes. If you have a fairy tale you would like me to read aloud, you can email me at [email protected]. You can follow the show on Twitter and Instagram at Mythicalpodcast. There I post behind the scenes, updates, and clues to each week’s episode. If you like the show, please leave a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts. I greatly appreciate it and it helps other people find the show. Thank you for joining me today. I’m The Narrator, and this is Mythical. Happy Halloween! [Music swells and fades] SHOW NOTES “This den belongs to murderers who’ll soon be at your side!” Der Räuberbräutigam If you were expecting someone to come to your creepy house in the middle of a dark forest, wouldn’t you wait around rather than go murdering and robbing? Transcript If there is a fairy tale you'd like me to read, email me: [email protected] Mythical Website Instagram: @mythicalpodcast Twitter: @mythicalpodcast SFX: Snoring: In Studio Rempen -- Footsteps: Freesound.com
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2019
Categories |